Olivia Plender

Critical text

Drawing was Olivia Plender’s (b. 1977, London), first creative outlet before she discovered other possible ways of making art. Influenced by artists like Öyvind Fahlström, Plender’s work often involves research into histories of social, radical and religious movements, especially in Britain, such as the Suffragettes or the Women’s Social and Political Union. Plender’s research-based practice questions the ideological framework around these historical narratives.  One of the works shown at Artissima derives from the series ‘A Stellar Key to the Summerland’. Here, she is mimicking the techniques of political and scientific pamphlets from the nineteenth century by combining Spiritualist ephemera with interviews. She explores the hidden history of a movement that started in 1848, presenting a scientific and rational response to the demands of the industrial world. The Modern Spiritualist Movement was a heady mixture of evangelical and non-conformist religion, political agitation, and popular entertainment. Whilst its adherents included mystics and magicians, its base was in working-class communities, and it was intrinsically linked to political campaigns, like the anti-slavery movement or working class protests. Plender questions the hierarchies behind the ‘voice of authority’ that is traditionally produced by institutions in the public sphere.

Text by Bettina Steinbrügge